How much time do you think a person can live for? 100 years? 120 years? What if I told that a man named Li Ching Yuen lived for 256 years? While this might seem hard to believe, it is indeed true. There are numerous documents and witnesses that claim Li Ching Yuen’s real age was 256 years.

Doesn’t this make you wonder what is the secret behind Li Ching Yuen’s longevity? Well, wonder no more because you’re about to find out the shocking secrets that he learned about the world during his long life.

20. Meet Li Ching Yuen

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The man we are seeing in this picture is no other than Li Ching Yuen. He is the man who lived 256 years and this is his shocking story! Does this seem a little bit fishy to be true? Well, then make sure to check out the next pictures for proof.

19. New York Times Investigation

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The Western world heard about Li Ching Yuen for the first time back in 1930 when the famous New York Times started an investigation about the rumors of a mysterious Chinese man who lived for 256 years. Stick around to find out what documents and proof the New York Times found about  Li Ching Yuen.

18. Suspicious Documents

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In order to find proof about this mysterious man, the folks at New York Times teamed up with Wu Chung-Chieh who was a professor at the Chengdu University. This professor is the one who found the following suspicious Chinese government reports.

17. Government Birthday Celebrations

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During his search for proof of  Li Ching Yuen’s existence, the Chengdu University professor found a government-issued document that dated back to 1827 which congratulated  Li Ching Yuen on his 150th birthday. However, this is not everything that the professor found…

16. 200th Birthday Congratulation

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The second document found by the professor was another Chinese government issued document that congratulated  Li Ching Yuen on his 200th birthday in 1928! Leaving the documents aside, let’s get into something more interesting. You won’t believe how fitting his daily job was!

15. Herbalist

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According to different reports, Li Ching Yuen started his career as a herbalist at the young age of 10. He spent most of his young years hiking up the mountains and gathering herbs to create potions. You won’t believe what Li Ching Yuen had to say about growing up in the mountains!

14. Learning the Secrets of Life

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During the years Li Ching Yuen spent while hiking up on mountain peaks, he discovered the secret to prolonging life alongside other important hidden herbalist techniques. Using his knowledge, he developed this special diet!

13. Special Diet

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He managed to survive by only eating wild ginseng, Gotu Kola, goji berry, lingzhi and rice wine. Most of these herbs were found on the mountains he was living on. This might not seem like a tasty diet but it seems to do the trick. Take a look at the next picture to see why it is so hard for us to believe that Li Ching Yuen lived to be so old.

12. Western Fast Food

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The reason why it is so difficult for us to understand how Li Ching Yuen managed to live for so long is because of the Western culture’s influence. Everyone eats fast food and while this might be tasty, it’s not that good for our health. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that Li Ching Yuen’s life was boring. You won’t believe what he did when he turned 71!

11. Joining the Army at 71 Years Old

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Even though no one would be able to join the army at 71 years old, this didn’t seem to be a problem for Li Ching Yuen. The Chinese man joined the army and that’s where he got employed as a teacher of martial arts. What’s even more surprising is that Li Ching Yuen became one of the most loved people in his community.

You would think that during his lifetime he would feel lonely, right? Well, this is not the case. Stick around to find out how many wives and children the Chinese man had.

10. Married 23 Times and Had Over 200 Children

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It is said that Li Ching Yuen was married 23 times during his long life and that he had over 200 children. With that being said, we think it’s safe to say that he didn’t have a boring life. Want to know something even more amazing? Then make sure to check out the next picture.

9. There Another Man Like Him

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Li Ching Yuen had many disciples and one of them said that one time, they met a man who was 500 years old! This older man taught Li the art of Qigong exercises and expanded his knowledge of herbs. One day, Li was asked about the secrets of living a long life and everyone was shocked by his response!

8. The Secret to a Long Life

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While most of us would think that the only way to extend our lifespan is through high-end technology, Li’s theory tends to disagree. If you want to find out what advice Li Ching Yuen gave to his disciples, then you need to look at the next picture.

7. Calm and Peace of Mind

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“Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog”. This is what Li Ching Yuen said when he was asked about the secret of living a long life.

6. Meditation and Breathing Techniques

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Li Ching Yuen’s disciples have reported that he was often found just sitting in his room, meditating and practicing breathing techniques. From the looks of it, we don’t have to wait for some groundbreaking technology to live longer and deceive death. Although, Li’s love for martial arts certainly helped him as well and the next picture will reveal his favorite martial art.

5. Baguazhang 

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Baguazhang is the martial art that Li loved to practice. This is a fluid martial art and it involves many movements which helped the oldest man on Earth to keep his heart pumping. You know what else is believed to be a key factor? Nature itself! Stay around for the next picture to find out how nature prolonged Li’s life.

4. Walking in Nature

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There are many people who believe that staying in nature helps to clear their minds and bodies. This is what Li Ching Yuen thought as well since he spent many years wandering through nature. His disciples believed that one of Li’s sources of power was nature itself.

3. Rice Wine

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As previously mentioned, Li Ching Yuen included rice wine in his daily diet. Rice wine did not only get him tipsy but it also cleansed his body from infections. This might be the only part of Li’s diet that was both tasty and healthy at the same time. Make sure to check out the next picture to see what else Li never put his hands on.

2. Alcohol and Tobacco

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The two things that Li never laid his hands on are alcohol and tobacco. Rice wine was the only exception but this was made entirely by him or his disciples and it only contained products that were plucked straight from the rice fields. Nonetheless, everyone should learn to lay off both alcohol and tobacco if they want to follow in Li’s footsteps and live a long life.

1. Keeping Life Simple

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It seems like everything that Li Ching Yuen learned during his long life is to keep things simple and to stick to a healthy diet. While this might sound simple enough, it’s not that easy in practice especially when we are surrounded by tasty food everywhere we go.